Compass tool



C. P. HULS COMPASS TOOL March 7, 1950 Filed Aug. 16, 1946-" Patented Mar. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE COMPASS TOOL Clarence P. Huls, Portland, Oreg.

Application August 16, 1946, Serial No. 691,023

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to compasses and is more particularly concerned with a scriber marker or for shop or field work.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of the character referred to which can be readily adjusted to work of irregular shape and various sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character referred to of simple and inexpensive construction.

With the foregoing and other-objects and advantages in view the invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device Figure 2 is a section thereof on line 2-2 of Figure 1 Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the lower portion of one of the tripod legs Like numerals, as used in the description and drawings, designate the same structural parts.

The scriber is constructed in tripod form so as to provide stability at the base. It comprises three legs H], H and [2, with eyes at the upper ends to engage a ring l3 which serves to tie them together. The pivotal and sliding connections of the legs with the ring is sufficiently loose to permit leg In to gravitationally maintain a perpendicular position even when ring l3 assumes an inclination to the horizontal as legs H and I2 are rested upon portions of the surface to be scribed having different elevations with respect to the horizontal.

The leg ID is somewhat shorter than the others and all three are tubular at the lower ends. Threaded in these extremities are pointed elements l 4. When it becomes desirable to lengthen the tripod legs, extension members provided with points, may be threaded on the pointed elements M.

The leg Ill is designed to serve as a compass leg. To this end it is provided with a rotatable scriber l5, either a tool or pencil. The scriber is held adjustably in a clasp is having an ear l1 which is secured to an ear l8 on a vertically adjustable sleeve I9 mounted on the leg l0. Ears I l and [8 are joined by means of a bolt and wingnut 20 to permit adjustment of the scriber radially, thus allowing the lay-out of openings or profiles for pipes and other cylindrical objects designed to pass through or intersect other objects or surfaces, such as floors, desks, bulkheads, walls, pipes, etc.

The scriber being adjustable vertically and free to rotate on the leg in it is possible to mark or scribe materials of irregular form, and the tripodal arrangement of the whole unit allows the tool to be set and provides stability thereof while in use.

As different embodiments may be made of this inventive concept and modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it will be understood that the matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative merely, and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. A scriber comprising a substantially horizontal ring, a pair of normally downwardly divergent legs, means pivotally and slidably connecting the upper ends of said divergent legs on said ring to slide around said ring toward and away from each other and to swing toward and away from each other, and a normally perpendicular scriber leg having a centering point on its lower end for engaging a surface to be scribed, means pivotally and slidably connecting the upper end of said scriber leg to said ring to slide around said ring toward and away from said divergent legs and to swing into positions angulated with respect to the perpendicular, eccentric scriber means, and means mounting said eccentric scriber means on said scriber leg for vertical adjustment thereon and for rotation of said scriber means on the axis of said perpendicular leg for scribing a curved line on the surface to be scribed.

2. A scriber comprising a substantially horizontal ring, a pair of normally downwardly divergent legs, means pivotally and slidably connecting the upper ends of said divergent legs on said ring to slide around said ring toward and away from each other and to swing toward and away from each other, and a normally perpendicular scriber leg having a centering point on its lower end for engaging a surface to be scribed, means pivotally and slidably connecting the upper end of said scriber leg to said ring to slide around said ring toward and away from said divergent legs and to swing into positions angulated with respect to the perpendicular, eccentric scriber means, and means mounting said eccentric scriber means on said scriber leg for vertical adjustment thereon and for rotation of said scriber means on the axis of said perpendicular leg for scribing a curved line on the surface to be scribed, the pivotal and sliding connections of the legs with said ring being sufficiently loose to permit said scriber legto gravitationally rnaintain a per- UNITED STATES PATENTS pendicular pos1t10n even when said ring assumes an inclination to the horizontal as said divergent Number me Date legs are rested upon portions of the surface to be 3 ,822 Caldwell Dec. 11, 1894 scribed having different elevations with respect 5 73 ,009 Barnes Feb. 21, 1905 to the horizontaL 808,644 Eichmuller Jan. 2, 1906 CLARENCE P. HULS. ,108 Caldwell July 31, 1917 1,507,250 Overlin Sept. 2, 1924 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent: 

